AMIBIOS8 Firmware Supports AMD Geode Processor Development Boards

3/10/2005 - American Megatrends Inc. (AMI), a leading provider of storage and computing innovations worldwide, is pleased to announce AMIBIOS®8 firmware support for the AMD GeodeTM NX DB1500 development board.

The AMD GeodeTM NX DB1500 development board integrates the SiS741CX + SiS964 chipset, providing a cost-effective solution for a multitude of embedded uses leveraging its quiet, fanless design. The turn-key reference model can be deployed in Windows XP/XPe, Windows CE.net and Linux environments and is ready for production. System integrators can take advantage of the collaboration of key AMD manufacturing partners.

AMD Geode processors are fully integrated x86 architecture-based system devices for the embedded electronics market. Providing high performance and low power consumption in a small form factor, the AMD Geode processor family is ideal for use in embedded applications such as thin-clients, high-end printers, point-of-sale systems, information and transaction kiosks, and telecommunications and networking equipment. With its 6-watt power consumption, AMD Geode NX processors are suitable for fanless applications including transportation electronics, networking, mobile systems and more.

AMIBIOS8 modular firmware fully implements the AMD Geode family of processors’ distinctive features. AMIBIOS8 stability and reliability is proven by 18 years of BIOS experience in the x86-based PC market. The modular structure of AMIBIOS8 enables embedded manufacturers to utilize only those modules that provide exactly those features their design needs. A low system software footprint delivers smaller Flash memory requirements, which promote consistent savings without sacrificing features and reliability.

With AMIBIOS8, embedded manufacturers have access to the full range of PC firmware technologies, from mobile to server; they can choose to combine mobile power management features, headless operation and IPMI system management or network boot if that is required by their design.

"We are pleased to widen our customers’ choices with support for a variety of AMD Geode processors, including the Geode NX DB1500 development board. AMI is more and more appreciated in the embedded market for the stability and reliability of its system software. Support for the Geode family of processors will open the road for new applications for AMIBIOS8,’’ said Bill Clark, AMI Software Sales Manager.

"Stable and reliable platform initialization are crucial factors for the success of products based on the AMD Geode family of processors,“ said Erik Salo, director of marketing, Personal Connectivity Solutions Group, AMD. "AMD has collaborated with AMI on a wide range of platforms, and our mutual customers have come to depend on the solid technology and advanced platform design solutions created by combining AMD Geode processors and AMIBIOS."

About AMI
Founded in 1985, American Megatrends Inc. (AMI), best known for AMIBIOS, supplies state-of-the-art hardware, software and utilities to today's high-tech manufactures. AMI has aligned its storage focus to meet industry demand and is aggressively pursuing iSCSI Storage Area Networks (IP-SAN), Network Attached Storage (NAS), and Storage Management. AMI also offers remote server management, KVM over IP, IPMI 2.0 compliant technologies and high-density motherboards. AMI is a voting member of the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) and an Associate Member with the Intel® Communications Alliance, a community of communications and embedded developers and solution providers. Headquartered in Atlanta, AMI has locations in the U.S., China, Germany, India, Japan, Korea and Taiwan to better serve its customers.

For more information on AMI, its products or services, call 1-800-U-BUY-AMI or visit www.ami.com.